Should We Build a Bigger Jail?

On August 10th, 2009, the Webster Groves branch of Commerce Bank in St. Louis, MO was robbed by this man. No disguise, no evasive camera maneuvers. The paltry amount of money he walked out with couldn’t have lasted long… He was captured three weeks later in Tennessee. Now he’ll likely spend the next 25-years in prison.

So here’s my question for you… Did this happen because there’s a shortage of jails in Missouri?

You’re probably thinking, “Of course not, duh!”

Dr. Shawn Dill (Dublin, CA) recently discussed a similar topic during his radio show, and it sparked today’s blog post. Suppose your community began experiencing an increased crime rate… Would building a bigger jail solve the problem?

It’s a reasonable assertion that crime is not due to a lack of jails. When a person thinks it’s okay to commit a crime, that it doesn’t matter if they break laws or harm others, or that “everybody goes to jail” — it shows a fundamental problem with education. Ultimately they didn’t learn the difference between right and wrong, or they simply don’t care about the consequences of their actions, as long as short-term needs are met.

It’s a terrific parallel to a growing problem – Americans are grossly over-medicated.

In The Avalanche of Declining Health, Dr. Brandon Harshe (Commerce, TX) highlights an all too common scenario that patients can experience after they begin losing their health. Side effects from one medication can lead to taking another… then another… and so on, until 50% or more of the medications a person takes are prescribed for no other reason than to combat side effects of their other pills.

Americans are often unaware of (or simply don’t care about) the consequences of long-term prescription drug use. Let me be clear, however – Medications aren’t the problem. Slavish dependency on medication, the belief that “All I need is another pill,” and the mindset that drugs “cure” you – that’s the problem.

Whether it’s an increase in the number of crimes in your community, or an increase in the number of symptoms in your body, the same conclusion can be made: The effect won’t cease until the cause is removed.

Obviously, there will always be crime and there will always be people who are sick and in pain. But I do believe that with improved education and public awareness, both problems can be reduced.

Realizing that you were born with the capacity to be completely healthy is a good start. Convicts weren’t born in prison… and you weren’t born with acid reflux, headaches, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, or Fibromyalgia.

The next step is learning about the things that cause your body to malfunction (physically, chemically, and emotionally).

The final step is removing/eliminating this cause… It’s unfortunate that some prisoners recognize the error of their ways after they’re behind bars. Don’t wait till New Years Day to begin making health-enhancing, life-improving changes. Start today.